5/16 to Mainline Questions (Newbie)

[Goshenboy]

Hello all,

I am currently in the process of planning for my first upcoming year of collecting sap. I am fresh out of Highschool, and my Agriculture teacher got me hooked on producing maple syrup ( had a maple syrup operation at the school). My first question would be how many trees would I be able to put on one 5/16 line with all natural vacuum. I have an average of 8% slope leading down the woods. My second question would be what is the best way to combine 5/16 to a 3/4 inch main line and still maintain enough natural vacuum to pull more sap from the trees. My final question is how many taps can 3/4 inch main line support with no vacuum pump. I plan on expanding every year in the future, starting with 100 taps and working my way up.

Thank you, Rob

[lyford]

Rob, with 5/16 you will not get natural vacuum. You will need to use 3/16 for that.

[mol1jb]

3/16 is the tubing you will be looking for on natural gravity vacuum. On 3/16 most run 15-30 taps depending on tree concentration per area of woods and possibility of squirrel damage (less taps per 3/16 run = less taps lost if squirrels are damaging lines). For the second question that will depend on how your woods is set up in regards distance from sugar shack to maple bush. 3/16 works great going from tree to tank as long as there isn't too much flat ground covered. And it is more forgiving than mainline if it is not pitched perfectly. Describe your sugar bush to use a bit more and we can help you work out the details.

[maple flats]

In either event, use what is called a saddle to attach a lateral (the 3/16 or 5/16 from tree to tree and then to the main) to a lateral. Over the years I've used many different saddles, but after I first tried the DSD saddles I never bought any other brand. They cost less and are less prone to leaking. That being said, sometimes with good slope (8% is good) and the right layout, you do better just running the lateral to the collection point and use no mainline.
To help you know if that is an option, we need to know more about the woods lay of the land where you will be tapping and where you can collect the sap.